IEDs are used to injure or kill people and to damage vehicles and other equipment. IEDs can be fashioned as roadside bombs that are detonated when a vehicle passes nearby. IEDs can be elevated, such as by placing them upon road signs or trees, so as to more effectively focus their energy on less armored portions of a vehicle. They can also be buried or partially buried in order to make them more difficult to find.
IEDs are typically constructed from artillery or mortar shells. They can also be made from explosives from a wide range of other sources. In many cases a detonator is attached so as to facilitate initiation of the explosion. The detonator can be remotely controlled by cellular telephone, radio, garage door opener or another electronic device. By using such electronic devices, the IED can be remotely detonated via either a manned trigger command or the use of automated fusing, e.g., by sensing the proximity of a vehicle.
The use of such IEDs by insurgents in Iraq has become commonplace. Indeed, it has been estimated that IEDs have, to date, accounted for a significant fraction of the coalition deaths in Iraq. Consequently, it would be beneficial to be able to detect, locate, disable and destroy IEDs such as those used by insurgents as roadside bombs in Iraq.